Ask Trooper Keith: Is holstered, mounted gun considered concealed?

A reader emailed the following question as it relates to “open carry”: “Is a holstered hand gun mounted plainly in view in a vehicle considered concealed?”

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By MSP Trooper Keith Disselkoen

Ionia Sentinel - Standard-Ionia, MI

By MSP Trooper Keith Disselkoen

Posted Feb. 24, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Updated Feb 24, 2013 at 11:39 AM

By MSP Trooper Keith Disselkoen

Posted Feb. 24, 2013 at 11:36 AM
Updated Feb 24, 2013 at 11:39 AM

MSP Lakeview Post

A reader emailed the following question as it relates to "open carry": "Is a holstered hand gun mounted plainly in view in a vehicle considered concealed?"

The answer is yes, it is considered concealed. I will refer to MSP's legal update #86 which provides detailed information about this issue as well as many other laws about possessing and carrying firearms.

MCL 750.227(2) makes it a felony for a person to transport a pistol anywhere in a vehicle unless the person is licensed to carry a concealed pistol. Exceptions to the above statute are found in MCL 750.231a.

One such exception allows for transportation of pistols in a vehicle for a "lawful purpose." ("Lawful purposes are listed in MCL 750.231)

MCL 750.231a also provides that a pistol transported for a "lawful purpose" by a person not licensed to carry a concealed pistol must be unloaded, in a closed case designed for firearms, and in the trunk (or if the vehicle has no trunk, it must not be readily accessible to the occupants).

There is no way to "open carry" a pistol in a vehicle. An individual, without a CPL who transports a pistol in a vehicle to an area where he or she intends to "open carry" may be in violation of MCL 750.227.

Keith Disselkoen is a Community Service Trooper for the MSP Lakeview Post. If you have a question for Trooper Disselkoen, you can email him at asktrooperkeith@gmail.com.